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McConnell tells senators he might scrap August recess

Republican senators say Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is seriously considering canceling part or all of the August recess as leadership plays catch up on confirming President Trump's nominees and funding the government.

McConnell has been tightlipped about his thinking, only saying he would make an announcement soon.

But in multiple closed-door meetings, GOP senators say McConnell has told them that he is weighing canceling at least part of the four-week summer break, a move that could help the GOP in the midterm elections by forcing Democratic senators up for reelection to stay in Washington.

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Democrats are defending more than two dozen seats, while the GOP is only defending nine.

The Senate is currently scheduled to leave town on Aug. 3 and return to Washington in early September.

Republicans are facing intense pressure from conservatives and the White House to stay in town if they haven't whittled down a backlog of nomination votes or made progress on a government funding bill. Congress faces a Sept. 30 deadline to pass a new funding bill.

“[McConnell] and I have talked pretty much every day,” said Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.), who is leading the effort to cancel at least part of the recess. “If we don't get the government funded by Aug. 1, then I think the recess is in play.”

Republicans stress that the decision is ultimately up to McConnell, who sidestepped a question about the fate of the summer break on Tuesday.

“As I've indicated I'll have more to say about the August break in the near future,” he told reporters.

It wouldn’t be the first time the Senate leadership of either party has threatened to cancel a recess.

McConnell just last year said the Senate would nix the first two weeks of the August recess. In the end, the chamber only stayed in for one additional week after McConnell and Schumer got a deal to confirm dozens of nominations.

Multiple GOP senators acknowledged on Tuesday that the recess could ultimately be saved if Democrats agree to help move nominations and avoid a mammoth omnibus funding bill, which Trump has warned he will not sign.

Even as GOP senators indicated on Tuesday that they believe McConnell is leaning toward canceling part of the break, they also nodded to the yearly theatrics.

After noting that leadership is signaling that the Senate will be in session, Shelby added: “[But] will we be here? It depends on what happens.”